Bush leaves Europe on a roll

Leaders approve much of agenda

June 03, 2003|By William Neikirk, Tribune senior correspondent.

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt — President Bush is riding considerable momentum into the Middle East peace talks after a European trip in which he mended some fences with allies and generally exploited his influence on security and economic matters.

Despite divisions over the war in Iraq and mistrust about American motives, Bush's critics did not confront him. He warned that more needs to be done to fight terrorism, asserted that Europe needs the United States as much as the U.S. needs Europe and tried to charm the dissenters.

He skipped the last day of the Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, to travel to the Middle East, though he had a big imprint on the summit's outcome, particularly the leaders' statement that the spread of weapons of mass destruction poses a "pre-emptive threat to national security" that may call for arms inspections.

In another declaration, the leaders urged North Korea and Iran to curb nuclear programs that Bush says could turn into nuclear arms programs. They "strongly" urged North Korea to "visibly, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle any nuclear weapons programs."

Economic lift expected

They also said they expected, as Bush does, that the world economy would pick up later this year. And they approved of economic restructuring in countries such as Germany and Japan. Germany has just approved a new program to curb social benefits such as unemployment compensation.

Bush reiterated his support for a strong U.S. dollar, even though his treasury secretary has declared to financial markets that it is not alarming for the dollar to decline in value. But the rise in the European currency, the euro, caused the Group of Eight leaders to urge greater currency stability so their economies don't sink more.

The G-8 stepped back from giving a push to stalled trade talks, which many economists said would have been one of the most positive economic developments of the summit. Also hanging is a proposal by Bush that would call for other G-8 countries to match his $15 billion, five-year plan to combat AIDS.

Endorsing another Bush initiative, the leaders agreed to crack down on shoulder-held missiles that could be used to shoot down commercial airliners. They also called for greater international cooperation to prevent nuclear material from being turned into so-called dirty bombs. But they failed to act on the president's proposal to permit seizing of ships transporting material that could be used in weapons of mass destruction.

Leaders such as French President Jacques Chirac, who was opposed to the war in Iraq, remained skeptical of America's influence in world affairs and what is seen as a U.S. tendency to go it alone. Still, at least on the surface, Chirac and Bush patched up their personal relationship at the summit, though perhaps not their disagreements.

"Listen, we must be frank," Bush told reporters, with Chirac at his side. "We went through a difficult period. I understand his position. He made it very clear to me from the very beginning. There was no question where Jacques Chirac stood. And I made it clear where I stood. And that's why I can say we have good relations, because we can be very honest with each other."

All is not forgotten

Chirac said he had no "discomfort" with Bush, although some of the hard feelings seemed to linger. The French president said he is going to the United States later this year to attend the UN General Assembly, but not at Bush's formal invitation. Bush told him to drop by the White House, Chirac said.

The French president indicated to reporters in recent days that he is concerned that the old "multipolar" world of cooperation and joint action by Western allies is eroding as Bush has adopted certain policies, such as the right to take unilateral military steps to protect U.S. interests against potential acts of terrorism.

While Bush sought to heal some of those wounds, he did not back away from his policies. During his fast-paced trip that will take him to six cities in seven days, he has done little to assuage Europeans' fears about expanding American influence.

Bush did appear to try to soften his image in Europe as a hard-charging cowboy. He made a "clear statement" at the summit that the United States would not invade Iran, according to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The president also sounded out Chirac on the prospects of bringing Syria and Lebanon into the Middle East peace process, and a senior administration official noted that the French president has considerable influence with the two countries. Bush said such cooperation would be "a very interesting opportunity for the United States and France to work together."

And Chirac told Bush that he supports the "road map" for peace that Bush will seek to advance in his talks with Arab leaders here, and with Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.